To describe how people learn new behaviors, the evolutionary literature has considered various cognitive processes. Whereas some models stipulate that individuals learn by imitating their peers [1]}, [2]}, [3]}, others assume that learning is based on aspiration levels [4]}, [5]}, reinforcement [6]}, or introspection [7]}. Crucially, however, all of these learning rules are based on the assumption that individuals strive to increase their immediate payoffs. We refer to learning rules with this property as “selfish learning.” Although errors, mutations, and chance events may temporarily lead a selfish learner to adopt inferior strategies, better performing strategies are favored on average. In fact, the property that individuals continually aim to improve their own immediate payoff has been considered a defining characteristic of evolutionary dynamics itself [8]}, [9]}, [10]}, [11]}, [12]}.
